When Georgia lost to Vanderbilt two weekends ago, most fans thought the chances of the Dawgs winning a third straight SEC Eastern Division championship were over. Naturally, UGA was given new life this past Saturday when Missouri choked away a 17-point fourth quarter lead to South Carolina. The Dawgs sit one game behind Mizzou in the loss column, but they’ve still got a chance to re-claim the division title as the Tigers have to travel to Ole Miss and then face Texas A&M to finish the season. However, none of that matters if Georgia doesn't win the rest of its SEC games.

It all starts with beating Florida in Jacksonville this Saturday. This game doesn’t have nearly the hype it usually does because both teams enter unranked and severely hampered by injuries, but both still have a great deal to play for. Here are some keys to watch in this weekend’s latest celebration of the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.

Photo by Jamie Sheriff

1. Who will stop playing like the stupidest team in America? In the past three years, these teams have combined to commit 53 penalties and 17 turnovers in this game. There were five turnovers in 2010, three turnovers in 2011, and nine turnovers last season! I feel like this ends up on national television each year because people can’t turn away from watching a trainwreck. The winner on Saturday will likely be the more disciplined squad. This involves protecting the football and not committing stupid mistakes, such as dead-ball fouls. It starts with which coaching staff has its team more prepared to execute this weekend.

For Georgia, this also revolves around special teams. I’ve been complaining about the special teams for the past three years, so I have nothing else to say about it. I’d complain about the special teams coach, but there isn’t one. Whatever.2. Todd Gurley’s Health Injuries are a part of the season for every team, but Georgia fans can’t help but wonder if the first part of this year would have worked out differently with a healthy Todd Gurley. Many regard Gurley as the best running back in the country, and he makes such a difference for the offense in the red zone and short yardage situations. All reports indicate Gurley is healthy enough to play this Saturday, and he should give the Dawgs a huge lift. Hopefully his ankle injury won’t limit him and he can play at full strength. If he’s anywhere near 100%, the Florida defense will have a difficult time stopping him.3. Who will handle the pressure better? Any number of people will be under tremendous pressure on Saturday. Will Muschamp is under the gun because Florida fans are starting to question whether his style of play is sustainable for the Gators. Todd Grantham is under pressure because the Dawgs haven’t stopped anyone this season and Florida’s offense has been nothing short of disastrous. And despite his play in big games this season, Aaron Murray has always been criticized for his performances against Florida. Who will rise to the occasion and overcome the pressure?4. Which coach will be more aggressive? One of the biggest complaints by Florida fans is that the Florida offense refuses to be aggressive. Instead, Will Muschamp often uses a very conservative offense and relies on his strong defense. On the other side of the ball, Georgia fans have been criticizing Mark Richt and Mike Bobo’s playcalling for years. The numbers indicate otherwise, but Bulldog fans regularly question Georgia’s use of tight ends or formations based on particular situations.

In a game where so many starters are injured, which coach will take more risks and chances? Who’s not afraid to throw the ball down field or possibly use a trick special teams play? Those types of things will be huge momentum shifts for either team.

5. Who will view the injuries as an opportunity? Florida and Georgia regularly bring in Top 10 recruiting classes. Both teams have been decimated by injuries, but there’s still talent on both sidelines. It may not be experienced talent, but talent nonetheless. Which one of these talented newcomers will make the most of the opportunity Saturday? Who will prove why he was a 5-star prospect coming out of high school? Who will handle the intensity of playing in one of the SEC’s biggest rivalries. Both teams need new guys to step up.

Take the Checkered Flag

After spending the day covering the Duke-Navy football game in Durham, I worked up quite an appetite and was looking forward to having some BBQ on the way home to Roanoke. I was traveling with my parents and grandparents and we decided to have dinner at Checkered Pig in Danville, Virginia.

I’d read about Checkered Pig recently in a blog post that highlighted some of the best BBQ restaurants in Virginia, and I believe I’d had some of their food before at a catered event. This was my first time getting to eat in one of the two locations (the other being in Martinsville, Virginia) and it was good to be able to have the full experience of actually eating in the restaurant.

The atmosphere is simple and casual. You order at the counter and the food is delivered to your table. The menu has good variety and the prices are extremely reasonable based on what you order. Most of the sandwiches and smaller options are all between $5 and $8 and the platters are in the $10 - $16 range.

I was quite hungry and wanted to try a few of the different meats, so I ordered the three-meat platter, which came with fries, hush puppies, and my choice of two additional sides. I selected the chopped pork, smoked chicken, and ribs as my three meats and the cole slaw and baked beans as my two other sides. This is a Hungry Man dinner on steroids.

I had no business eating as much as I did, but I didn’t care. The Georgia football team had just lost and I was in mourning, so I decided to console myself by eating a massive amount of food. Of the three meats, the ribs were my favorite. I’d prefer the meat to be a little more tender, but these still had very nice flavor and the sauce had cooked into the meat, providing a nice crust. They didn’t need any extra sauce and the flavors of the pork were able to really stand out. The chopped pork was good, and I especially liked it when mixed with the coleslaw, but I still would go with the ribs if I were only having one meat. The chicken had very nice flavor and was cooked well, but I didn’t understand why they topped it with sauce after it’d already been cooked. The sauce seemed unnecessary and took away from the true flavors of the meat. My dad ordered the beef brisket and it looked like they did the same thing with that. A few dollops of sauce being added like you’d put whipped cream on a piece of pie.

If you can’t tell, I’m a big fan of sauce being added to meat while it's still cooking. I think it allows the ingredients to actually marinate and break down. If you wait until after, the sauce can be overwhelming.For the sides, I already mentioned the coleslaw, but it was definitely the best of all the side dishes. It was finely chopped and sweet and added some great extra flavors to the chopped pork. The baked beans were solid, but I’m not sure what the deal was with the hush puppies. They were soggy and undercooked. I don’t think I’ve ever had a hush puppy I didn’t like, but these wouldn’t rank near the top of the list.

In looking at the menu and on the Checkered Pig website, they boast about their award winning ribs. I could understand that and would recommend them to anyone who stops in for a meal. The other food was good, but the ribs are what would bring me back for another visit.

It’s not looking good for this week’s NCAA Football 14 simulation of Georgia against Florida in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. The Dawgs enter the game with a 5-2 record in the simulation while Florida comes in with a 6-1 record as the No. 6 team in the country. Unfortunately, because of the way I have the season set up on the game, I’m unable to adjust Florida’s roster to reflect all the injuries the Gators have this season. I’ve tried to keep Georgia’s depth chart accurate, but Florida will have to be at full strength for this contest. Hopefully the Dawgs can rise up and pull the upset.

Score - Georgia: 13 Florida: 10

Game RecapTake that and your healthy roster, Will Muschamp!

Actually, this game was nothing short of a dumpster fire that hopefully doesn’t reflect Saturday’s game at all, aside from UGA coming out with a win.

Neither team amassed more than 265 yards of total offense and there were five turnovers and 16 penalties called. It was a defensive battle and a game that Florida should be kicking itself over.The Gators only managed to get to the red zone twice, and they came up empty both times. One possession ended when Jeff Driskel threw an interception in the end zone to Corey Moore. The other possession ended in a missed field goal from 34 yards.

Georgia’s offense didn’t look much better, but the Dawgs were able to convert on both of their red zone trips. Quayvon Hicks barrelled into the end zone for a two yard touchdown run early in the second quarter to give UGA a 7-3 lead, and Marshall Morgan kicked a 27-yard field goal near the end of the third quarter, which ended up being the deciding score of the game.Both quarterbacks had a miserable afternoon. Jeff Driskel only completed 11-of-27 passes for 180 yards and threw three interceptions, while Aaron Murray was 14-of-29 for 170 yards and two interceptions.

Todd Gurley was also very ineffective in his return, only rushing for 57 yards on 19 carries. However, as I mentioned, he was going against a Florida defense that wasn’t missing any starters, which is hardly accurate for how Saturday’s game will look.

Key PerformerJordan JenkinsFlorida is making a habit of offering highlight reel games for Georgia’s outside linebackers over the past few years. Jordan Jenkins is the latest to have a monster game against the Gators, and he finished the simulation with 10 tackles, including seven tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. It was great for Jenkins to finally make a major impact on a game.

Looking AheadWith the win over the Gators, Georgia is back in the driver seat for a trip to the SEC Championship game. The Dawgs are 6-2 and 5-1 in conference play and ranked No. 8 in the nation. Actually, if Georgia can win the remainder of its games and knock off Alabama in the SEC Championship, they might still have a chance at playing for the BCS title. If only it were that easy in real life.

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From Ballparks to BBQ is a blog that focuses on food, sports, and travel. Whether it's a restaurant review, game preview, or what to do in a city, I'm here to offer my thoughts and suggestions. Learn more >

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